


Shadows in the night

by frostysunflowers



Series: Of bright autumn days and things that go bump in the night [8]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Everyone Needs A Hug, Female Peter Parker, Halloween, Horror, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Pippa Parker, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, cornfield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-06 04:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21220550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostysunflowers/pseuds/frostysunflowers
Summary: Some legends are more than just stories.





	Shadows in the night

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be honest, this is an absolute mess. It was meant to be a short spooky thing and ended up a ridiculous muddle and over 5k I mean - so yeah, if you enjoy it i'll be very glad, but if you don't then I totally understand haha. 
> 
> For the prompt 'cornfield' from [hailingstars 13 Nights of Halloween](https://hailing-stars.tumblr.com/post/187781459998/13-nights-of-halloween) and inspired by that scene from the film The Village (if you've seen the movie, you'll know it when you see it!)
> 
> Also for those who may not know, Pippa is a character from my fic 'Breathe in for luck' - in case you wanna get to know her a bit before reading on haha ;)
> 
> Thank you!

The scent on the air is a mix of old rainwater and faraway smoke. Shadows begin to dance eerily all around as the sun starts to go down, staining the sky above the maze a rather deep red, only softened by the odd hint of watery pink here and there. 

A whisper of a breeze whistles down the path, ruffling Tony’s collar just enough to make him shiver. 

''Tony?'' Steve calls from up ahead. ''C’mon, I think it’s this way.''

Tony kicks at a fallen husk of corn. ''Gee, Cap, I hope you won’t be offended when I tell you to bite me.''

Steve turns with a scowl. ''Look, I know this is - ''

''Boring? Ridiculous? Completely your fault? You got that right.''

''My fault?'' Steve scoffs. ''You’re unbelievable, you know that?''

''Oh, I know,'' Tony smirks, ''though not for reasons you’d ever be lucky enough to find out.''

They’re striding towards each other now, feet hitting the hard earth beneath them heavily as their frustration boils over. 

''I told you we should have gone left a few turns ago - ''

''And I told _ you _ we should have doubled back when we passed the scarecrow - ''

''Mister Stark!''

Pippa’s loud, exasperated cry sends a couple of crows squawking unhappily into the air. Tony glances around at the looming stalks of corn on either side, sighs exasperatedly and points at Steve. 

''Kneel down.''

Steve blinks at him. ''What?''

Though still annoyed, a teasing, salacious smile appears on Tony’s face as he spots the red tinge creeping into Steve’s cheeks. ''Looking a bit flushed there, Cap. Was it something I said?''

Steve rubs a hand over his forehead and drops down with an irritated huff. Without too much awkwardness, Tony manages to step over him and sit on his shoulders, muttering a string of curses as Steve swiftly stands up. 

''Do you mind?'' Steve grumbles, jerking his head as Tony’s hands immediately dig into his hair for something to hold onto. 

Tony ignores him and looks around, eyes barely peeking over the top of the maze and squinting over the fraying tips of the corn stalks. He catches a glimpse of messy brown hair, glinted with red in the rays of the disappearing sun. Pippa spots him too and waves her arms. 

''Mister Staaaark! Are you okay?''

''Just peachy!'' Tony calls back. ''If I never make it out of here, kiddo, take care of Dum-E for me.''

''Can you stop being a dramatic ass?'' Rhodey’s voice drifts over, sounding as fed up as Tony feels. ''It’s time to go home. As fun as this is, I don’t fancy spending the whole of Halloween hanging out in a field.''

''Oh, I’d love to, honeybear, only Captain Fantastic over here has been leading us round in many merry circles, haven’t you, Cap?''

Steve says nothing but the skin of his neck darkens and Tony feels the muscles in his back twist into tight cords. 

''Walk this way!'' Pippa says, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. ''We’re right by the exit!''

''But that means you won!'' Tony complains, giving Steve a kick with the heel of his shoe to show his displeasure. He yelps when Steve pinches his leg in retaliation. 

''That’s what happens when you’re on the better team, Tones,'' Rhodey singsongs. 

Pippa drops out of sight with a cheerful ''see you soon, Mister Stark!'' and then Tony is being returned rather ungracefully to solid ground. 

''Jeez, Rogers,'' Tony grumbles, straightening his clothes and zipping his jacket up to ward off the increasing chill. ''What crawled up your star-spangled ass?''

''Can we just go?''

Tony holds an arm out with a sarcastic flourish, earning a pointed glare as Steve marches past. Tony trails after him, turning left at the end of the path and wrinkling his nose as the distant smell of smoke grows a touch stronger. 

* * *

''Do you think they’ll be long?'' Pippa asks, hopping down from Rhodey’s shoulders with a little grunt. 

''Depends on how much they wanna keep arguing.''

''Maybe pairing them up wasn’t such a good idea,'' Pippa says as they head back out into the bustling atmosphere of the fair. It’s as wholesome as it can possibly be, full of families enjoying toffee-coated treats and playfully bickering over who carved the best pumpkin. The scent of hotdogs is tempting and the cheering coming from the game stalls is vibrant and happy. 

''They’ll be fine,'' Rhodey waves his hand, ''or they’ll just kill each other and save us the job of doing it later.''

Pippa giggles, reminded of the time when Tony and Steve spent an entire week passively aggressively fighting over who ate the last cannoli leftover from a fancy bakery, the one that charged obscene amounts of money for chocolate fudge brownies and sold donuts sprinkled with actual gold dust. The two of them had been so angry at each other that actual bets were made about who would kill who first. 

Subsequently, it ended with a rather reluctant handshake and going halves on a box of replacement cannolis. 

Still giggling, Pippa is about to remind Rhodey of the incident when something makes her pause. 

It’s a feeling. 

A shiver that races up her spine. 

With a frown, Pippa twists round and stares back at the maze. The shiver turns into a buzzing unease that fizzes up her arms and sends goosebumps across the back of her neck.

''Hey,'' Rhodey nudges her shoulder, ''you okay?''

''Yeah...'' Pippa says slowly, narrowing her eyes a little. ''Just...thought I…'' She feels Rhodey’s questioning gaze on her and shakes her head, giving him a smile. ''Nothing.''

Rhodey throws an arm around her. ‘’C’mon, how about a round of bobbing for apples? I was a champion back at college.’’

Pippa laughs and allows him to lead her away. 

Behind them, a willowy shadow rushes noiselessly through the stalks. 

* * *

''Cap.''

Steve ignores him, carrying on heading forward with long strides of his legs. 

''Hey, Cap - _ Steve.''_

The hissing urgency in Tony’s voice makes Steve immediately stop. His eyebrows are bowed in concern as he turns, eyes flicking quickly over Tony’s face. 

''What?''

Tony wrinkles his nose. ''Can’t you smell that?''

Steve sniffs the air. ''The smoke?''

''Yeah. Noticed it earlier but it’s getting stronger.''

''So?'' Steve shrugs, face relaxing. ''The flyer said something about roasting marshmallows. Maybe it’s that.''

Tony shakes his head, feeling some sort of rushing need for Steve to understand what he’s saying. ''No, it’s not - something’s burning.''

Steve ducks his head a little to peer closely into Tony’s face. ''Are you alright?''

Tony’s answer goes unspoken as a rustling somewhere in the crops to their left has them both turning sharply on the spot. 

There’s nothing to see except the stalks that wave ever so slightly back and forth. The two men stand silently for a moment, completely still, their breathing shallow and quiet as they wait.

But nothing appears and Steve sighs loudly. 

''Come on,'' he says with a shake of his head. ''I’m tired and this was clearly a waste of time.''

Tony immediately bristles, earlier trepidation forgotten. ''A waste of time?'' 

Steve gestures to their surroundings. ''There’s a million and one real life things I could have been doing tonight, and none of those included getting trapped in some ridiculous corn maze with you.''

Tony steps forward and prods Steve in the chest. ''You’re hardly top of my list for a good time either, Spangles, but guess what? If you’d turned back when I’d said to, we wouldn’t still be stuck in here.''

''Oh, you just love that this is my fault, don’t you,'' Steve growls, eyes narrowing. 

''Hey, he admits it!'' Tony gives a sarcastic cheer. ''Wow, and here I thought the great Captain America was too prim and perfect to ever make a - ''

A rustling, loud and quick, comes from the right. Both men pause once again, eyes flicking back and forth in the dim light. 

The crops move, the tops tipping sideways, arching over as though something is pushing through, too big for the gaps between each one. 

There’s a swirl of bitterness on the air, the unmistakable scent of fire, and then the crops part with such swiftness that Tony and Steve both step back with a jolt. 

At first there’s nothing to see in the gap, just a patch of darkness that allows them to peep into the cluster of crops within. 

Then a face appears. 

It emerges slowly, like oil seeping through water. 

A hat comes first, floppy and tilted to one side, sitting atop a fraying burlap sack. A pair of eyes that seem like a cross between holes and buttons peer out from beneath the brim. They thin out into a narrow stare, dark and vicious, right above a sinister, gaping mouth, cut jagged and open wide. 

Tony lets out a sharp grunt like he’s been struck. Steve grabs his arm and they take another step back, straight into the whirling smoke that is suddenly swimming over the ground. It loops around their ankles and curls up around their wrists like chains, somehow pulling at them as they continue to shuffle back.

''Steve,'' Tony whispers and Steve’s hold on his arm tightens painfully. 

''Who are you?'' Steve calls, his Captain America voice echoing down the path. ''What do you want?''

A long, spindly leg steps out from the crops and onto the path, followed by another, and then the rest of the body follows, revealing the towering height of the scarecrow. It rustles with every move, the scrape of straw and cheap cloth as loud as nails on a chalkboard. 

''I said, what do you - ''

''Steve,'' Tony hisses, yanking him back, spluttering as he sucks in a gulp of smoky air. ''There’s a reason we’re supposed to be afraid on Halloween and that,'' he points to the scarecrow as it steps towards them, ''is exactly why.''

A raspy cackle comes from the scarecrow. It lifts a hand to point a gloved finger at them, and then raises it higher to make a cutting motion against its throat. 

Tony pulls Steve back with more urgency, turning so their backs are pressed together, never taking his eyes off the scarecrow as it follows after them. 

''Tony, we can’t just run - ''

''Fighting ain’t gonna do us any good here, Cap,'' Tony mutters, gritting his teeth as his gut clenches with fear. How he knows, he can’t tell, but he’s absolutely certain that the thing leering menacingly at him isn’t something that mere brute strength can take down. 

His mind flashes to Pippa, pictures her sweet smile as she bounces on her tiptoes at the entrance of the maze, waiting for him to appear. 

''Tony - ''

''Keep moving, Steve, just move.''

He shoves Steve towards the edge of the path, stepping just ahead of him to lead the way, only to stumble back as the air in front of them erupts into fire. 

* * *

''I can’t believe they’re still not out yet!'' Pippa exclaims around her last mouthful of candy apple. 

It’s truly dark now, the sun having disappeared into the horizon a little while ago. Giant burning torches and lines of lanterns are the only source of light now, the moon remaining absent from the sky. 

''Only Tony could get lost in a damn corn maze,'' Rhodey says with a shake of his head. ''Very Stephen King of him.''

Pippa smiles, leaning against the post holding up the left hand side of the ‘Enter If You Dare!’ sign that forms the entrance to the maze. ''I hope he’s not too mad that we beat them.''

''I’m almost tempted to leave him here so I don’t have to listen to him complaining on the way home,'' Rhodey grumbles. 

Pippa laughs, tilting her head against the poll as she turns to survey their surroundings, a funny sort of unease walking up her back as she realises how empty the fair has suddenly become. 

Mere moments ago, or so it seems, the place had been full of a wholesome kind of excitement, inviting and enchanting. Now, it looks like something has silently swept in and started snatching everybody away. The stalls boasting things like pumpkin carving and selling apples drenched in toffee are now being abandoned, the only evidence of anyone having used them being the scattered mess of paper cups and half eaten food covering the ground. Picnic tables that had been crowded and covered in plates of hotdogs and greasy burgers are now almost completely empty, only a few stragglers remaining as they finish their meals with an odd kind of intensity. 

All the charmingly spooky decorations now appear strangely menacing and the seasonal warmth of the place is gone. What remains is something foreboding, like there’s a warning embedded in the hush that seems to have fallen over everything. 

The unease is now a thrumming prickle and Pippa knows that Rhodey can feel it too. He’s moving away from the maze entrance, looking around in confusion and body tensing as though waiting for something to happen, and Pippa finds herself looking back into the maze, eyes peering into the darkness, unsure exactly what she’s expecting to see. 

''You guys should go.''

Pippa doesn’t jump as the boy appears suddenly by her elbow, but her heart does leap a few beats in her chest at his words. 

''W- we’re waiting for someone,'' she explains in a rushed stammer. 

The boy shakes his head and grabs her sleeve. Pippa sees Rhodey move towards her, obviously sensing her discomfort and readying himself to step in, but she doesn’t pull away. 

''Why is everyone leaving?'' she asks, lifting a hand to tug her scarf tighter around her neck, suddenly feeling horribly cold all over. 

'''Cause they’re scared.''

Pippa swallows. ''Scared of what?''

The boy peers at her, like he’s not sure if she’s being serious or not. ''You don’t know about the legend?''

Dread is curdling in Pippa’s stomach and starting to ooze into her veins, turning everything cold. ‘’What legend?’’

A look passes over the boy's face. It's sympathetic, fearful, like Pippa's words have somehow signed her up for something terrible. ''The legend of the scarecrow.''

Rhodey snorts derisively. ''Scarecrow? As in a pair of old trousers stuffed with hay and wearing a bad hat kinda scarecrow?''

The boy starts to glare at Rhodey, but Pippa’s hand on his arm directs his attention back to her. 

''What is it?'' Pippa demands. ''What’s the legend?''

The boy gives a shrug, looking down and scuffing his grubby trainer against the dirt. ''Story goes that a long time ago, the farmers who owned this place made a scarecrow to stand guard of their crops. It did a good job and they had really good harvests.''

He looks back up and gives the area a cursory glance before focusing on Pippa once more. 

''I guess they didn’t reward the scarecrow for all the good work it had done,'' the boy continued, '''cause one night their cornfield caught fire. And it kept catching fire, little bits of it every night, until one night, on Halloween…'' The boy looks back into the maze, ''the whole cornfield caught fire and the farmer and his family all died. Story says that the scarecrow was angry, and the more they didn’t reward it, the angrier it got, and it's stayed angry ever since.''

''But…why would it still be angry,'' Pippa asks quietly, ''if the farmer and his family died?''

''I don’t know,'' the boy shrugs again. ''My dad told me that it never stopped being angry so…''

''So what?''

''Every Halloween since, the scarecrow sets fire to the cornfield, burning whoever is still in it alive.''

''Oh, for - '' Rhodey throws his hands into the air. ''Kid, I hate to break it to you, but there’s no such thing as vengeful scarecrows trying to burn people alive. Now this,'' he gestures around them, ''is clearly part of some dumbass set up to try and scare us.''

''It’s true!'' the boy snaps, voice going shrill in his indignation. ''People have died!''

Rhodey groans, palming his face with both hands. ''You really expect us to believe that a scarecrow, a mouldy sack of old hay, has been going around burning people alive over the years? Gotta say, that’s a real lame story, and I’ve heard some spectacularly bad ones in my time.''

The boy swallows, fists clenching by his sides, and something about the look on his face makes Pippa shiver. ''You shouldn’t talk about it like that.''

''Kid, are you for - ''

Something bright launches up into the air above the cornfield. It disappears as rapidly as it appears but it’s enough to make Rhodey shove Pippa behind him. She protests weakly but he holds her in place, arm extended back to keep her from moving away. 

The boy doesn’t move except to turn sombre eyes back towards the maze entrance. ''Guess it heard you.''

''Listen,'' Rhodey barks, voice tight, ''you better cut the crap and tell me what the hell is really going on.''

The only reply he gets is the extending of an arm to point towards something out of Pippa’s line of sight. She leans round to look just as Rhodey whispers a confused ''what the hell?''

A steady wisp of smoke swirls lazily up from something on the ground, something black resting in a little patch of straw that’s been trodden into the dirt. 

Pippa darts out from behind Rhodey and approaches, heart thudding in her chest as she crouches down. 

It’s an ear of corn. 

Burnt to a crisp, still smoking at the ends. 

''I want the truth, kid,'' Rhodey insists from behind her, all his years in service turning his voice hard and solid. ''Now.''

The boy doesn’t get a chance to reply, because the sudden appearance of a frazzled looking woman interrupts the moment. 

''Daniel!'' she cries, seizing the boy by the shoulders. ''Do you have any idea how - what are you doing over here? Don’t you know by now - ''

She stops herself, glancing at Pippa and Rhodey. 

''Ma’am,'' Rhodey says softly, hands raised, ''we just want to know what’s going on. Our friends are in there, and your boy here is telling all kinds of wild tales - ''

''Your friends are in the maze?'' she interrupts, standing straighter, her hold on Daniel’s shoulders tightening.

''Yeah,'' Pippa nods. ''We’ve been waiting for ages and…'' she glances at the blackened ear of corn, ''we don’t know what’s happening.''

The woman sighs shakily. ''It...it takes someone, people, every year. The fair, all of this,'' she looks around, lip trembling, ''is meant to invite people in, people who don’t know, tempt them so that when the sun goes down, whoever is left in the maze…''

''But why?'' Pippa asks desperately. ''What happens if - ''

''It just gets angrier,'' the woman snaps, the sheer terror in her eyes completely undeniable. Without another word, she grabs Daniel by the hand and begins to hurry away, joining the last few remaining people as they beat a hasty retreat. 

''Wait!'' Rhodey calls after her, cursing loudly when she doesn’t look back. 

Daniel does look back though, eyes wide and serious. Fear drills its way up Pippa’s spine, settling at the base of her skull and making her scalp tingle as his gaze shifts to look past her; to look into the dark path leading into the maze. Smoke is rushing across the ground now, whirling up into the air and thickening rapidly. 

''We have to find them,'' Pippa whispers. 

Rhodey grabs her arm before she can even take one step. 

''Pippa, wait - ''

''We can’t leave them in there,'' Pippa hisses, yanking her arm from Rhodey’s grip. ''That thing is after them!''

''We need back up,'' Rhodey insists, reaching for her again. ''We don’t know what the hell that thing really is - ''

''I’m not leaving without Mister Stark!''

Rhodey looks at her, torn and despairing, before he groans. ''You are so Tony’s kid. Come on,'' he marches into the maze, yanking his shirt up over his face. ''we don’t have a lot of time.''

Pippa wraps her scarf over her nose and ties it in a knot at the back of her neck as she hurries after him. 

_ Hang on, Mister Stark. _

Tendrils of black smoke weave through the corn and all around them as they dash down the path. It’s not thick enough to block their view, but it won’t take long. There’s no need for a torch as the scorching light of the growing fire stains the air. It’s impossible to tell how far away it is, but the heat seeps through on the breeze, clawing its way into Pippa’s lungs and making her cough. 

''Tony!'' Rhodey yells hoarsely. ''Steve!''

''Mister Stark!'' Pippa’s scream is ragged, pitiful over the growing sound of crackling corn. ''Mister Rogers!''

''Tony!''

''Mister Stark!'' Pippa’s eyes sting with tears of fear as she rounds corner after corner. ''Where are you?!''

Up ahead of her, Rhodey takes another turn. She follows and her feet knock into something, sending her spiralling through the air. Her body hits the ground heavily, knocking the air from her lungs and leaving her wheezing. 

From somewhere behind her, she can hear Rhodey grunting. Lifting her head, she catches sight of the figure pinning him down and shrieks, scrabbling backwards as a pair of empty, black eyes turn their gaze to her through the wispy smoke. 

''Pippa…'' Rhodey grunts, pulling at the hands encircling his throat. ''R-run.''

The figure on top of him - the scarecrow that she had smiled at when they’d passed it earlier that day - laughs, low and guttural, and leans more weight into Rhodey, pushing him further into the ground. 

It keeps its eyes on Pippa, but doesn’t flinch as she stands and rushes towards it, throwing her full weight into the dive. 

It moves and she hits the ground on her front, skidding across the dirt. Rhodey gives a wrenching gasp that makes him splutter and Pippa turns to find the scarecrow towering over her, its horrible maw hanging wide as it stares at her. 

It lunges and she screams. 

* * *

''Goddamnit, Cap,'' Tony snarls to himself, shoving his way through the stalks with his shoulders, smearing a hand against the blood trailing down from somewhere on his forehead. Clutched to his side, Steve groans and stumbles along blearily, a hand feebly trying to help with the clearing of their path. ''You just had to try and fight back, didn’t you, huh?''

''Had to,'' Steve mumbles, coughing into the smoke. ''Couldn’t let it hurt you.''

''I was trying to stop it from hurting _ you _, genius,'' Tony snaps, drawing tight breaths into his aching lungs. ''Come on, stop dragging your feet, soldier.''

Steve nods weakly and holds himself straighter, fist clenching the back of Tony’s jacket. ''I’m good, I’m fine.''

The sudden blast of the fire had knocked them to the ground, allowing for the scarecrow to seize Tony by the neck, lift him from the ground and dangle him above the flames. Steve tackling it around the middle had done nothing except make it angrier, and it had been a furious, frantic fight that was over in seconds but seemed to last forever, leaving a bleeding Tony dragging a barely conscious Steve into the smouldering crops and the murderous growls of the stunned scarecrow following them closely behind. 

Now, they’re stumbling blind with burning heat licking at their heels, smoke choking their airways and nothing but pure adrenaline pushing them on forward. 

That, and the piercing shriek that cuts through the air like a blade and plunges right into Tony’s chest. 

''Pippa!'' he yells. ''Fuck - Pippa!''

* * *

Rhodey hits the ground again, and this time he stays down. Pippa can only afford to spare his prone form a terrified glance before straw scrapes too close to her ear. She ducks the arm that swings for her head and whirls back with a sharp jab, missing her mark and teetering forward into the smoke. 

Her head spins and her vision tunnels, ears muffling beneath the snap crackle of the fire racing through the crops, drawing closer and closer. Her senses scream, the danger all around making them spike wildly. 

She hears a sinister laugh and turns, fists flying but meeting nothing. Her scarf, dangling uselessly around her neck, yanks tight and her feet leave the ground. Her legs flail and her hands wrap around the fingers buried in the fabric, but then dead, soulless eyes are boring right into hers, that horrifying face only inches away from her own, and she just freezes. 

Then there’s a crashing sound, the call of her name, her feet touching on solid ground and Tony and Steve grappling with the scarecrow. 

''Kid!'' Tony shouts, every muscle in his body locked solid as he struggles against the spindly arm coiling around him. ''Take Rhodey and get outta here!''

''Mister Stark!'' Pippa cries weakly. 

''Kid, _ move - ''_

Tony’s words cut off as he’s thrown to the ground and Steve is snatched up into the scarecrow’s hold, a gloved hand covering his mouth and another squeezing his neck. Tony barely has time to call Steve’s name before the scarecrow leaps forward and disappears into the crops. 

''No!''

Pippa rushes to the edge of the crops but Tony’s arms wrapping around her stop her from going further. 

''Pippa,'' he pleads, face streaked with black and blood and eyes so wide, ''please, take Rhodey and get outta here.''

''But Mister Rogers - ''

''I’ll get him. You need to help Rhodey.''

There’s so much smoke now. Tony brings them low to the ground, cupping her face as she lets out a sob. 

''I can’t leave you,'' Pippa whimpers, grabbing his arms. 

Tony smiles tightly at her before cupping the back of her head and tilting it forward to kiss her hard on the forehead. 

''Hurry, sweetheart,'' he says against her skin before pulling back. ''Get out and _ stay there. _I’ll be right behind you, promise.''

He’s gone then, disappearing back into the crops like a dark shadow. She wants to scream at him to come back but the words lodge in her throat, leaving her almost retching into the dirt. 

But there’s no time, not with the air turning more and more poisonous and Tony’s words ringing in her head. 

Pippa sobs once more before rubbing her face and crawling over to Rhodey. She wraps her scarf back over her nose and pulls him up and over her shoulders. His arms dangle by her side and she takes hold of one of his hands in her own before standing. 

''Come on, Spider-Girl,'' she mutters, not daring to look at the space in the crops that Tony had disappeared into, not trusting that she won’t change her mind. 

So Pippa runs. Runs the whole way, blindly stumbling through the smoke, taking deeper breaths as the air grows that bit clearer but still leaves her coughing violently. Her senses continue to bounce chaotically, every footfall and every shadow making her blood bubble with fear, but somehow she makes it to the entrance. 

She staggers a short distance away before she collapses to her knees, barely managing to lower a now groaning Rhodey to the ground without knocking his head. 

''S’happening?'' he moans, peering at her with glazed eyes. ''Tony?''

''He - he’s in there,'' Pippa’s voice cracks. ''He went after Steve - the, the scarecrow - ''

''What?'' Rhodey wheezes

''He made me leave,'' she cries, tears running down her cheeks. ''I have to go back, I can’t just leave him - ''

Rhodey’s hand fumbles around her ankle. 

''Not a chance,'' he barks hoarsely. ''He told you to leave and I’ll be damned if I let you go back in there.''

Pippa looks back at the maze. Everything is awash with black smoke and glowing flames. She stares down at the path, waiting for a sign of Tony to show itself and seeing nothing but the ominous glow of the approaching fire as it makes it way along to consume the last remaining stalks. 

Above the crackling and popping sounds, she hears something else, low and so foreboding that it makes her want to scream. 

The scarecrow’s laughter. 

On the ground, Rhodey pulls himself half upright, still holding onto her ankle. She offers a hand without looking and helps him stand, but doesn’t follow when he starts to stagger away. 

''Pippa, we gotta move, now.''

''But Mister Stark - ''

Rhodey looks at her and there’s such agonised defeat on his face that Pippa wants to throw up. Without having to hear him say it, she knows exactly what he’s thinking. 

''No,'' she murmurs and moves to stand right on the edge of the path, fists clenched at her sides and shoulders squared as she looks into the smoke. 

The laugh comes again, louder this time. 

''Pippa,'' Rhodey pleads, ''move!''

Pippa draws in a shaky breath and clenches her eyes shut. 

''Come on!''

''No,'' she whispers and extends a hand out, palm open and facing the sky. ''I’m not leaving without Mister Stark.''

She’ll never forgive herself if she does, if she runs away and leaves him to die at the hands of some terrifying monster in a place they wouldn’t even be in if it wasn’t for her. 

Tony told her to stay, so she will. Right here until he gets back.

_ It’s him, _ she tells herself as she senses something approaching, running at full speed towards her, _ it’s Mister Stark, he’s okay, it’s okay - _

There’s the scratching of straw that comes as loud as a resounding bang of doom and Pippa flinches, bracing herself.

Then a hand grabs hers and her eyes fly open. 

Tony rushes past, a blur of dark hair and smoke-stained skin, and tugs her right along after him. She catches a glimpse of Steve, bloody and bruised, snagging Rhodey by the arm and ushering him along, and then her focus is on moving, following Tony, heeding his words as he orders her to ''keep running, kid, keep running.''

They run, don’t stop until they’re at the car, yanking open the doors and diving inside. Tony guns the engine and they zoom off, bumping along the uneven ground and speeding towards the main road. Pippa turns in the front seat and peers back over Steve and Rhodey’s heads at the blazing remains of the cornfield. 

''It makes no sense,'' Steve is rambling, sounding half delirious as he and Rhodey sag wearily against each other. ''They lured us there to, what, to die?''

''I don’t know,'' Tony replies, glancing in the rearview mirror, face ashen beneath the black stains. ''We got out, we’re okay, that’s all I need to know.''

He reaches over and prods Pippa into sitting properly. She grabs his hand before he can pull it away. 

''Mister Stark…'' she says and he looks at her from the corner of his eye. ''What just happened?''

Tony breathes low, hoarse and shuddery. ''I don’t know, kiddo.''

They remain silent the entire journey home, nobody voicing a single thought as they drive along in the dark. The lights of the city are a welcome sight, a security blanket of comfort that makes Pippa sigh and lean her head thankfully against the window. 

Tony hand eventually moves from Pippa’s grasp and threads through the tangled ends of her hair, loosening a few of the knots. She closes her eyes and allows herself to relax, the bone weary exhaustion taking over her as they head towards the tower. 

They’re almost there when she hears it.

Above them, on the roof of the car. 

The rustling of straw. 

Pippa’s eyes cut to Tony and they share a brief look of terror before a menacing laugh seeps through the air and turns their blood cold. 

**Author's Note:**

> ughhh I don't even know, guys haha. You know you get those fics where you've got to post them cos you worked too much on them not to? This is one of those!


End file.
